Anyone else having problems? I can remember listening to a program on the radio ages ago now where dentists were whinging about not having enough time to get back to work - rang mine today as I am supposed to have 3 monthly treatment to keep my gum disease at bay, just a recorded message that basically said if you are not in agony we are not interested - fantastic. It is totally unacceptable that they are still not providing any sort of normal service in my opinion, will now have to go private I guess.
Dentists???: Anyone else having... - British Heart Fou...
Dentists???
41 Replies
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Going private won't make any difference. The majority of the work my dentist undertakes is private, and so far they have yet to provide any kind of idea when they might reopen. This is the message on their website:-
"We are still currently operating an Emergency Only telephone service. All patients will be triaged via telephone and offered advice, analgesics, or where appropriate, antibiotics. Should patients need to be seen you will currently be referred to specialist treatment centre."
It could be a long time before I next see my dentist!
in reply to SpiritoftheFloyd
Absolute disgrace if you ask me they should be ashamed of themselves, good job the rest of the NHS has not adopted their attitude.
Dentists would I am sure love to be working again.
However they have to be able to work in a way that keeps both patients and staff safe in the Covid world.
england.nhs.uk/coronavirus/...
in reply to Milkfairy
That does not excuse them not even answering the phone, it is totally unacceptable that they cannot even do that given that they are probably all sitting at home at the taxpayers expense.
StevepH2012 in reply to
Today I was lucky enough to snag a cancelled dentist slot for my pre-valve surgery check up.
In the south-east where I live, simply finding an NHS dentist is near impossible without having infant current to get through the door normally.
Dentists were shutdown in March and only allowed to re-open 3 weeks ago.
Imagine the backlog of wrecked teeth that has built up in that time - all of whom will, I imagine, get priority over anyone wanting regular preventative treatment.
The dentist was also having to follow strict distancing and PPE measures, with only 1 patient in the building at any one time.
It will be while before anyone not considered urgent can be seen.
Depends where you are. I’m central london and I went 2 weeks ago!
Hi
Yes it is worrying that it’s impossible to get a dental appointment still. Cardiologist are very keen for us to have regular check ups & especially leading up to surgery. They keep asking me if I am up to date with my check ups. Well I was until they cancelled it in March. Haven’t seen a dentist for over a year now!
in reply to Purple1935
Agree completely, the reason I raised this issue is because there is a link between dental and heart disease.
Sunnie2day in reply to
You mention in your OP you have gum disease - that's serious (I know you already know that) and the treatment continued or at least detailed advice on going it alone at home given.
There is a mouthwash and toothpaste range specifically for gum disease (prescription and over-the-counter, the brand name is Corsodyl), has your dentist at least got you on that?
The next time you talk to the dental surgery, start by saying first off you were in the middle of treatment for gum disease and you have a heart condition that makes proper care for the gum disease especially important. Then ask can they please email you detailed guidance to get you through until you can be seen in-office.
And let us know if it works - surely on this forum you're not the only one needing to continue some sort of dental health treatment to help prevent complications of a heart condition and your experience could help someone else.
I went private years ago, the situation is no better there. There is currently no chance of an appointment unless you are in pain. And to cap it all, my insurer is still collecting the premiums for routine treatment I cannot get!
Me too
Having worked for many years on the other side of the dental chair I cannot understand why they are being so paranoid. Wearing masks, visors and gloves is nothing new, sterilising all equipment is nothing new, wiping down the chair and all surfaces is nothing new, they say the mist from drills and ultrasonic devices is dangerous but with proper suction techniques there shouldn't be mist in the air, it's all been normal practice for yonks.
in reply to bantam12
Exactly. I am afraid I don't have much of an opinion of a lot of these guys to be honest. Years ago my wife took our then 7 year old son for a check up, and caught them red handed when she timed the visit and took the receptionist, and dentist to task about how they managed to do a proper check up (and claim the £££ of course) in 90 seconds. I think the problem is one of will in a lot of cases.
Back in January, way before any hint of lockdown, I was told by my dentist I needed a wisdom tooth out at the dental hospital. & he would make an appointment. I finally had a letter three weeks ago from them asking if I still needed treatment.
As for my dentist, I had a crown up off two months ago so I rang emergency and they said it wasn't one.
Now, they are open for an emergency and for check ups but if you need work that isn't an emergency, then they won't do it.
My opticians have been open a couple of weeks for private eye tests only, at £85 a go.
However, I went to the chiropodist on Wednesday and it cost the same as before and he has been open, now I have found out, 3 days a week all through the lock down. And he doesn't charge if you cancel last minute, unlike dentists.
Have a good, pain free, weekend.
I have a dentist checkup appointment next week in my private clinic but there is an additional charge for PPE added on. They said they are not doing hygienist yet though as there is a lot of spray.
My dentist is only doing urgent care, but at least I could speak to a receptionist.
That's Disgusting lateguitarist. My Dentist has contacted me to make an appointment because they are open again So I would try to ring and ask the question when they plan to reopen Hope you have a nice weekend Brian
in reply to Bingo88
I did Brian, they are not even answering the phone!
Wow!!
So much ignorance and intolerance in this thread.
The Coronavirus spreads from our lungs, throat, mouth etc. There’s almost nothing a dentist can do in your mouth that doesn’t generate an aerosol spray from your unhygienic mouth.
NHS dentists receive something around £40 from the NHS for carrying out a filling. The PPE they have to wear costs over £100 and has to be disposed of after every patient. Then the room has to be disinfected and left vacant for an hour.
Dentists are losing money hand over fist and many are going to the wall.
There are emergency dental centres all over the country, but don’t expect your local dentist to open and be back to normal any time soon. And none of this is of their making.
in reply to HenryTudor
So all this explains Dunestars post below? £100 for PPE come off it.
spinningjenny in reply to
It’s not only the dentist who has to wear full PPE so do the dental nurses. At the start of the outbreak dental surgeries were encouraged to donate their PPE to the hospitals, since then the cost has skyrocketed.
My daughter, who is a dental nurse, is still furloughed and is fearful for her job. Some dental practices have begun to make redundancies.
Because of the necessity to clean each surgery and leave it for an hour before the next patient they are only using half the dentists and are only able to see a maximum of six patients each per day.
It’s not the fault of the dentists, they have to follow BDA guidelines. If you look at the list of most ‘at risk’ jobs on the BBC website you will see that dentists and their nurses come out on top.
Don’t knock them. They are doing their best.
in reply to spinningjenny
Well the guidelines are wrong then. Not only have all the children got to suffer from a reduced education, they will now suffer from bad teeth in later life, this situation is ridiculous and it needs sorting out one way or another. I personally feel the will is just not there. I had Lazer treatment on a sudden eye problem last week, all at short notice, and all at very close range - they managed it OK.
HenryTudor in reply to
I assume your eye wasn’t physically drilled the same as a tooth.
in reply to HenryTudor
Fairly b****y obviously no, and neither are any teeth during hygiene treatment, which can be done using only hand held tools, not ideal but much better than nothing. Like I said, if the will is there........
HenryTudor in reply to
Believe what you like. I know that to be true.
Oh, my experience is rather different. I went for my normal 6 monthly check up last week. It was private though. They took my temperature on arrival. Nobody else in the waiting room. The treatment was as usual except that they couldn't use the water spray and high speed tool for the clean. So lots of poking about with a sharp instrument which was a bit painful. Took X rays, all clear.
NOt even a person at ours; just a recorded message. MY son's had screaming oothache but only got antibiotics from the emergency service and that with great difficulty as they could only use one specific pharmacy which was miles from him
My son had an abscess recently. He rang up his normal NHS dentist, but they said he had been removed from their list because he hadn't been for a checkup during the last year! He tried 111 who gave him an emergency dental number to ring. They told him they couldn't treat the abscess because it required root canal work and there was no dentist in the zone Covid-safe who could do the drilling. Told him to go private. Fortunately he got a private appointment the same day. That surgery was fully Covid-ready and able to do root canal work. However, the cost is going to be over £500. Just do some research on private costs, and yes, they seem to be putting on another £50 for PPE.
I'm in Scotland - if you're Down South it may be different - but up here before they can strike off a patient for non-attendance they have to send a letter. Medical or dental, btw.
Exactly the same here - I had my last 3-monthly deep clean in January, and I'm now having to take regular doses of paracetamol to keep the sensitiveness at bay, because the dentist is only interested in emergencies.
Hi Alison
I also suffer with sensitive teeth & also have to have 3 monthly deep cleans. I'm fortunate that I'm having my annual check up & seeing the hygienist on Monday
I had my original appt cancelled at the beginning of lockdown & made Mondays appt at that time in the hope things would be easier in july. So probably a good idea, if you can & when you're able to, make a few ongoing appts.
Meanwhile, I was advised by my dentist to rub sensodyne (not the whitening stuff) toothpaste into my gums & that has really helped a lot. I think Calliope153 also suggested that, her husband is a dentist & she is a dentistry practice manager.
Hope this helps.
in reply to Lezzers
Thanks for the advice I have previously been informed of the sensodyne trick. Unfortunately to try and make a future appointment you actually have to get someone to answer the phone, which a lot of them seem not to be able to do.
Lezzers in reply to
Which is why I said to Alison 'if you can & when you're able to!'
Perhaps you could try e mailing the surgery, that's what I did and the surgery phoned me.
in reply to Lezzers
Yes good idea I have just done so, however reading the information on their website I won't hold my breath, seems to be mainly aimed at DIY treatment. Maybe I will see if my wife fancies a go with my miniature hobby drill. I must say I feel really sorry for people who are in pain, I have heard all sorts of horror stories, what a state of affairs.
Thanks, Lezzers, haven't seen you for a while 
I did wonder about Sensodyne, but have avoided it so far as I'm using Corsodyl (3 types - Ultra Clean Gum Care Toothpaste, Dental Gel and Antiseptic Mouthwash) as recommended by my dentist. But none of those help when my gums get upset!
I'll get some next week, and in the meantime see if the dentist has had any indication of when cleaning might be back on the menu...
Hi Alison, I haven't been around for a while as Kevin has had some health issues that I've been concentrating on. Apart from your teeth, I hope you're keeping well.
Definitely try the sensodyne, but as I said not the whitening stuff.... I made that mistake! Also, I was told to only use corsodyl for 1 month only, could you be using too much?
Ooh, good point. I may be overdosing on mouthwash! It does stain the teeth brown if used too often, so I'll try the sensodyne instead
Is Kevin doing ok now?
I started feeling light headed a few weeks ago, and my rehab nurse looked at my meds and said "why are you on such a high dose of Candesartan (32mg)? That will be pushing your BP right down." I checked my resting BP over the next 3 days and it averaged 97/60. She suggested I halve the Candesartan (it was switched by my cardiologist from 5mg Ramipril a year ago as I was getting foot problems which I thought might be the Rami.) I ran it past a GP at my surgery who was more than happy to officially lower it on my prescription. I've been taking the lower dose for a fortnight now, and haven't felt at all light-headed!
I’m not getting at dentists as I do appreciate what they do is high risk...but the service has been shocking in some regards.
My fiancé woke up a few weeks ago now on a Sunday, with a hugely swollen face and mouth (a matter of weeks after his triple bypass) I was extra worried due to the potential link between gums and the heart.
I phoned the emergency out of hours nhs dentist - they weren’t seeing anyone at all. I called 111 who after waiting for an hour on phone told me to ring our dentist... I rang local private dentists - no one would even take a look...had no choice but to dose him up with painkillers and wait for Monday.
Monday came and I called our dentist again (explaining he’d recently had bypass) they agreed to get dentist to call him, dentist diagnosed an abscess and prescribed 2 different antibiotics (I begged them to see him before in person as the swelling was pretty huge but they couldn’t/wouldn’t.) Luckily they worked and he’s been fine, but I couldn’t believe I couldn’t even pay a private dentist to take a look (I wouldn’t have expected them to drill etc as that’s obviously high risk but just a quick look!)
I have had some problems with my teeth as some of you are aware of,when eventually i saw my Dentist he used a drill no water and just air i had 4 injections and could not rinse my mouth out as you usually do,yuk was horrible.As i said in my last post they were only seeing private patients????? Not NHS which i am (my Dentist is fab he saw me)
but everyone should be seen private or not.Surely if you have to go to emergency care for Dental Problems they still have to be close to you???? So why can't normal Dental practice see us to???x
Like I said ladies, the will is not there.
HenryTudor in reply to
This is like playing chess with a pigeon.
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